Local News

Carol Kuper strives for student achievement

Always there for students

Carol Kuper is the lead instructor for the Morgan Community College math department. She has students work through problems with her using computer technology. (Dan Barker/ Fort Morgan Times)

Carol Kuper (Dan Barker/ Fort Morgan Times)

Morgan Community College Lead Mathematics Instructor "Carol Kuper is one of the brightest and hardest working teachers I've ever known."

That was the beginning of her nomination for the Morgan Community College Crystal Apple award this year.

"Her dedication and drive to enhance student achievement are tireless and constant," it says. "She teaches mountains of overloaded courses each semester, but never waivers in the quality of her delivery."

Kuper opens her office to all math students, not just her own.

If students are taking courses online, or their instructors are not available, she wants to be there for them, Kuper said.

"It's just my personality," she said. "I want them to succeed."

Kuper said that she has always had a talent for describing math to others, and many turned to her for help as she was growing up.

Today, she teaches statistics, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, integrated math, developmental math and high school math. That last is taught for students who may have been out of school for some time.

Helping students achieve requires individual attention, Kuper explained. She tries to make eye contact with each student during every class. She offers non-math analogies to help them understand concepts. For example, she may talk about the overall concept of dogs, which has subdivisions of poodles, golden retrievers and German shepherds, which helps students to understand ideas and retain them.

Kuper said that she does not want students to just sit and listen. She wants them to interact with her and their fellow students. They all work on problems together in class.

Kuper grew up in Fort Collins, graduating high school in 1987. She attended Front Range Community College and finished up a degree in actuarial science and applied statistics at the University of Northern Colorado with a minor in psychology, taking master's level courses at the same time to end with both a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree in applied research in statistics in 1998.

After some statistical consulting and database work, she began teaching and tutoring part-time at Aims Community College in Greeley.

In 2000, Kuper began her full-time job at MCC.

With 14 years of experience at MCC, Kuper remembers the history of how courses have developed over the years, and offers a unique perspective in any process for change, such as the redesign now underway for developmental math and assessment and placement tests, her nomination notes.

"People at MCC seek Carol out when making decisions that require attention to detail, particularly with regard to changes in curriculum and assessment standards," the nomination says.

Kuper said she learned best practices through "great mentors," and her UNC professors

Mathematics is important, because "we live in a math-generated world," Kuper noted. That is not so much about computation anymore, but knowing how math is in the background of so much in society.

Math shows up in computer programs, highway engineering, the news and personal finance, she said. Having an understanding of math helps people as consumers, and understanding statistics is one of the most important skills in order to understand what the many statistics quoted today really mean.

Of course, each person has his or her own specific needs, which is where developmental math come in, Kuper said. This program puts students on the paths for the math they will use.

Math is also helpful in aiding critical thinking they can use in life, she said.

Her nomination also mentions that Kuper has served on and chaired or been president of national and state math organizations. Her voice is heard in discussions at conferences, "and people remember her for her intelligence and commitment to students and the college."

Among many others, Kuper is a member of the Mathematical Association of America, the American Mathematical Association and Colomatyc.

Kuper said that she depends on the "tremendous curriculum and faculty" at MCC. She could not do her work without the rest of the staff.

Article Comments

We reserve the right to remove any comment that violates our ground rules, is spammy, NSFW, defamatory, rude, reckless to the community, etc.

We expect everyone to be respectful of other commenters. It's fine to have differences of opinion, but there's no need to act like a jerk.

Use your own words (don't copy and paste from elsewhere), be honest and don't pretend to be someone (or something) you're not.

Our commenting section is self-policing, so if you see a comment that violates our ground rules, flag it (mouse over to the far right of the commenter's name until you see the flag symbol and click that), then we'll review it.